'Sonic the Hedgehog 3' Review: The future has never been brighter (or bluer)
Fowler's Sega adaptations have been a mixed bag thus far–and then the team said, "Hold my chili dog" and amped up the stakes considerably
On Christmas morning 1999, I received my first video game console, thus launching me into a vast appreciation for the medium over the course of my life. It was a Nintendo 64, packaged with the one-two punch of Super Mario 64 and Diddy Kong Racing, two video games that would go on to define my deep-seeded love of Nintendo throughout my adolescence. That love and loyalty would eventually shift over time from company to console (Xbox 360 in college, Playstation 4 and Switch 2018-Present), but somehow, my paths never crossed with Sonic the Hedgehog (outside of his inclusion in the roster of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for Nintendo Switch).
Call it right age at the wrong time, but by the time Sega shifted their focus away from making consoles, I was already onto bigger things, so Sonic never had a place in our house growing up. Fast forward to 2024 and that appreciation never developed with the release of Jeff Fowler’s Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), nor with its ever-so-slightly better sequel (2022). They’re perfectly serviceable for their target audience of 7-10 year olds and Sega fans, but mediocre for quite literally everyone else. It was debatable if I was even going to make time for its third installment in an already densely packed holiday release schedule, but lo and behold, I gave myself the gift of committing to a Substack this season. However, to my utter shock and surprise, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024) surpassed any and all expectations for this franchise, shockingly delivering the can’t-miss family film of the holiday season.
Sonic (Ben Schwartz), Knuckles (Idris Elba), and Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) find themselves in the crosshairs of an epic new adventure involving fiends both old and new. A mysterious new adversary named Shadow (Keanu Reeves) awakens from a 50-year slumber with powers unlike anything Team Sonic has faced up until now. In order to stop Shadow from destroying the planet, the trio forms an alliance with their old foe Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey), who finds himself uniting with someone he never knew.
The greatest issue I’ve had thus far with the Sonic series of films is multi-faceted, but if I’m being nice, I’m admittedly not who the film is aiming to impress. In passing, Sonic as a personified character can be tolerable in short bursts (say, a 30 minute cartoon series), but hearing Schwartz’s obnoxious, go-for-broke performance grates for an entire feature-length outing. More than that, though, the comedy is sub-par, the story is standard, and both films suffer from overlong runtimes. You can do a whole lot worse than either film, but neither makes a substantial impression that so many other, better family films have accomplished.
Sonic 3, however, finds a way to balance out its lesser qualities with a much more polished story, stronger narrative arcs, less mindless filler, and stakes producing palpable tension–none of which I was expecting in the slightest from this series. In a story that blends so many different plot lines and characters, starting from scratch with some and building off the origins of the previous films, the script deftly finds breathing room for all involved. Reeves gives a reserved, dignified vocal performance to Shadow, carrying the weight of a backstory on his shoulders that provides him justification for being so filled with vengeance. The same can be said for Carrey in a dual role this time that I don’t want to risk spoiling. While he’s still mugging at every chance he gets, the humor is a lot more reigned in, while still playing into the eccentricities the character is known for exhibiting. A Beach Boys-accompanied montage is what finally broke at my Scrooge exterior and get some well-earned giggles out.
The same can be said for the visual presentation. Gone are the days of the sheer terror of the original Sonic design and distracting human-hedgehog conversations, ushering in a slick exhibition on full-display and taking every advantage to keep your little ones’ attention at an arms’ reach. Even with the film suffering from some of the overlong runtime issues of its predecessors, Sonic 3 justifies it by having its arcs and visual style firing on all cylinders in ways I didn’t think could come from this franchise.
The only real thorns in Sonic 3’s side are when the film has to play into the vested interest of its target audience. Schwartz’s Sonic still has to appeal to 7-10 year-olds and say catchphrases in that high-pitched nasal whine that still distracts in the moment. A lot of the humor is targeted to make the kids laugh first and foremost, despite some jokes here and there that will catch older audiences off-guard. I know you’re reading this and thinking, “Well, duh, right? It’s a video game adaptation for that audience, of course they’re going to target its humor to the right demo.” Here’s the thing, though: Tons of family films keep its audience in mind while still being hilarious to all audiences. I think back to the impact of the original Toy Story (1995), a majority of the Disney Renaissance, the first two Shrek films, Elf (2003), Up (2009), The LEGO Movie (2014) and the separate, ground-breaking leaps in comedy they’re able to accomplish while still being dazzling and subversive. With the right humor and comedy-centric mindset, this has the potential to be in that upper echelon.
Regardless though, so much of Sonic 3, as an act of collaboration between storytellers and VFX artists is genuinely impressive, not just as a means of improving a franchise, but as breath of fresh air in making a new impression. Even by the low bar we judge video game-to-film adaptations, I think the medium finally has a notch in its belt.
B
Feature image credit to Paramount via Game Rant
